When Yeshua told the story of the two men, one who built his house on the sand and the other who built upon the rock, what was He meaning? (Matt. 7: 24-27). He was talking about putting His words into practice or not, but what does that mean in the practical terms. I don’t think Yeshua was giving us a new religion to follow as the Jewish law had been interpreted. In this passage I see a fundamental, inherent consideration that everyone must confront – upon whom will we trust and rely. There are only two options the sand or the rock. The rock is Yeshua, God Almighty, the Holy Spirit indwelling each Believer. The sand is ourselves, our own best judgment, our best rationalization and reason applied in each situation, that inner voice of self which we are most familiar crying out to be satisfied first and always. 

The clear answer is to follow God who is all knowing and all powerful and not trust to our own very limited, fickle, understanding. However, there is another factor involved. In order to put Yeshua’s words into practice we must trust and rely on Him believing that He and His teaching is right and good. If we could only catalog our thoughts, considerations, actions, choices, and judgments we would see a pitifully poor record. When God’s grace and mercy met our need, we might have considered it chance or happenstance in our blindness. The wise man said, Do not trust in your own understanding, nor be wise in your own eyes. (Prov. 3: 5, 7).

God calls us into relationship with Yeshua, a man who was tempted in every way as we are, who suffered injustice, and yet triumphed as Messiah through His relationship and oneness with The Father. He said, “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John 5: 30). In this relationship we can trust, rely and obey the lover of our souls and build our dwelling place on the Rock of Messiah Yeshua. The old hymn says it best, “On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand, all other ground is sinking sand.”